See what your therapist and doctor think of this.
http://iospress.metapress.com/content/c56702u312756214/
Authors
Ruth Dickstein1, Sandra Levy2, Sara Shefi1, Sarit Holtzman1, Sara Peleg3, Jean-Jacques Vatine4
1Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
2Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE)
3Department of Physical Therapy, Reuth Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
4Outpatient and Research Division, Reuth Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability,
with walking impairment being a devastating indicator of chronic
post-stroke hemiparesis. Limited resources exist for individual
treatments; therefore, the delivery of safe group exercise therapy is
highly desired. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the application of
group-based motor imagery practice to community-dwelling individuals
with chronic hemiparesis improves gait. METHODS: Sixteen individuals
with chronic hemiparesis from two community centers participated in the
study, with eight from each center. Four participants in each center
received five weeks of the experimental intervention, consisting of
group-based motor imagery exercises of gait tasks, followed by five
weeks of control treatment of motor imagery exercises for the affected
upper extremity. Four other subjects in each center received the same
treatments in reverse order. Pre- and post intervention measurements
included clinical and biomechanical gait parameters. RESULTS:
Comparisons within (pre- vs. post) and between treatments (experimental
vs. control) indicated no significant change in any gait variable.
Nevertheless, the verbal reports of most participants alluded to
satisfaction with the intervention and to an increase in
self-confidence. CONCLUSIONS:
Despite the lack of evidence for the
effectiveness of group-based motor imagery practice in improving gait
among individuals with chronic hemiparesis, the contrast between the
measured negative outcomes and the positive verbal reports merits
further inquiry.
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